Meter system.



TILED 13130.14, 1908.

mummy J. A. TILDBN.

METER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION R Jamm J95 fi'lden HYTESET W, OE su implication .ciassfiacudes means W JU'EEING 1 tlvre 1 the 1 l5 (1111i.

30 ind which decrmse" Ate presence of be h} m le mm 01* owing i which sans.

the

citiz n 3115. the a-fficiency 10 conduits, m1

"iven f con n. tm acc01;npanannular characters lrouglwut. the 54 new 0 system mp plan pmved sys tion;

p01 p y pipe or conduit 01? su'x'lic Valves 1? eluded m the. bypass :10. 0 condu Leadin in Whi n t0 prov 10w.

uoniuit may be any posii'ive and apparatus as, for exmnpie. type.

it permitting (mum the. two to be shut off.

In H10 main condui. be openings is uutmnaflfic mntmlling a nmintaining the firmly small flows, this bah.

valve, its action in opening would be slow and uncertain, hanging for an appreciable time near the seat and oscillating as it gradually rose. lVith the differential ressure serving as the chief agency for hol ing the valve closed, its break from the seat occurs sharply at the predetermined point, there at once being ample pressure to effect a com plete opening. As the disk approaches a horizontal position the center of gravity of the weight 1!) will be more nearly over the pivot and the valve thereafter otters but slight resistance to the flow. The volume of fluid passing through the check-valve is within the range of accurate measurement of the proportional meter, this having been reached instantaneously, ashas just been pointed out. When this flow encounters the resistance of the dia hragm 25, a definite portion of the tota quantity is forced through the by-pass 26 as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and this amount, or, if desired, the total amount, is registered upon the meter 27. In this connection, it is desired to call particular attention to the peculiar cooperation between the byass 13 and the proportional meter. It will e clear that to cause the meter 27 to register, a certain minimum volume must be diverted through the by-pass 26 by the action of the resistance device. Now if small. flows were to be measured, it would be necessary to interpose a considerable resistance in the main conduit to render the fractional part entering the meter 27 large enough to operate thereon. This, however, would defeat the purpose of attaining a free path for greater volumes, since the contracted resistanceopening would throttle the flow. But since I dispose of these lesser volumes through the by-passl3, and the check-valve by the magnitude of its weight and the differential pressure to which it is subjected may be regulated to open only for a large flow, it will then only require the presence of a relatively slight resistance in the main conduit to insure the passage of a measurable quanlity of liquid through the meter 27. Therefore, the opening in the resistance device may approach closely to the total transverse area of the conduit. It will also be seen that by the employment of the differential effect to control the opening of the valve, there is eliminated from the systi :n that gradually increasing initial flow v hich would be below the measuring capacity of the proportional meter, and which would escape unregistered. After the check-disk has been lifted from the seat a very small portion of the tluid will pass through the depression 21. passage and pipe 25 and escape from the system. In so doing, it acts upon the nu-ler El. and from the reading thereof the time during which the checlevalve was open, and the heavy llow taking place, may be approximately obtained, the capacit cf the discharge-opening of pipe 23 in gal ons per minute under the average pressure belng known. Of course, the discharge of fluid from the pipe 23, being visible, will serve as a transientindic'ation of the condition existing in the system. Furthermore, this outlet passage from the'valve seat and the main line meter serve as a reciprocal check upon each other." For example, if fluid be seen escapingfrom the pipe 23 and the'meter 27 is not registering, it will be known that the latter is out of order. On the other hand, if registration upon the meter 27 isobserved to be in progress without discharge from the pipe 23, it follows that the passage from the seat is choked and the valve is not securm the benefit of the hydrostatic differential to maintain its normal closure.

To consider a specific example of a practical application of my improved system, the general data will be given of a 6-inch main line intended for fire service, and in which it is desired to measure both the quantity necessary for such purpeses and anysmall flow which might result from leakage or theft. With the ,main line having, as

stated, a diameter of 6 inches, the by-pass 13, has a diameter of 3 inches and the measuring apparatus 14 is a 3-inch-Hersey disk-meter. The diameter of the opening in the resistance device 25 is 4.75 inches and the secondary by-pass 26 contains a l-inch Hersey disk-meter. Wit-h a pressure In the system of .75 pounds per s uare inch, the area of the passage in the c eck valve seat. and the weightmoving with the disk is such that the valve 0 ens when the drop in pressure through the y-pass 13 between the opposite faces amounts to 4.5 pounds. Prior to this time water up to b0 allons per minute will have traversed the y-pass 13, but when it is in excess of this the check valve opens and up to the maximum ca acity, say 1,500 gallons per minute, will ow through the main line, of which about 7 per cent will be diverted through the by-pass 26. For the maximum flow the discharge from the system by the pipe 23 does not exceed 3 gallons per minute. In this pipe a 5/8 inch Hersey disk-meter is employed.

I claim my invention:

In a meter system; a main conduit; 3. primary by-pass communicating therewith; a meter included in the primary by-pass and operable by a relatively small flow through the system; a proportional meter compris- 7 closely approximating in diameter that of the main conduit, thus ofiering practically no resistance to flow therethrough and consflquenfly being efifect ive to divert nmusm-- 0 open when a flow @ccurs sufficient'tc epz able quantity of liquid through aha second-- ate 560011 3111?" bypass mates.

:n-y by-pass only upon :1 relatively largs flow through the system; and a cheek-valve y' situatedi inthe main condui; bQ'iW QED primayy my-pass openings and adapt'mi 0 normaily hold said main conduit closed and 1 

